Kidney and Ceruloplasmin Test Results and Reaction

In short, my kidney function is less than optimal but nothing too great to fear.  I’ll highlight a couple numbers of interest:

BUN (Blood Urea Nitrogen)- 18 (6-20)

Creatinine- 1.04 (0.76-1.27)

BUN/Creatinine Ratio- 17 (9-20)

Sodium- 143 (134-144)

eGFR- 91 (60+)

Ceruloplasmin 21.4 (20+)

Why did I think I might have kidney issues?

Several reasons.  Kidneys are involved in filtration and I thought perhaps poor function may be playing a role in my sensitivity issues.  I am not bouncing back quickly from relapses.  I used to be fine again after 2 days.  Now, it takes 3 before I am even somewhat like myself and 5 until I am all the way back.  Even on my best days over the last few years, I still don’t feel the same as I did at my peak.

 

I have horizontal ridges all up and down the center of my thumbnails, which is often considered a sign of kidney distress.  Also, when I do take a pill that I cannot tolerate, my urine has an extremely foul smell about 24 hours later but I feel a lot better immediately afterwards.  I’ve also noticed feeling a bit worse after eating a protein bar in the morning.   

What to make of these numbers:

No problem at all with the Creatinine.  BUN is a little on the high side but not too alarming.  Same with the ratio.  If I continue to reduce protein and stay off the sugared drinks, that should come down further.  Sodium is at the top of the range but it is narrow and not a surprise given that I am a fast oxidizer.   As for the eGFR, anything below 90 may indicate possible kidney damage.  It does not become critical until you get down to 30 but I am right on the edge.  Again, radical intervention should not be necessary if I stay the course.  No to NOS and I may not even try the herbal detox pill. 

As for the ceruloplasmin, Morley wants it near 30 and this is drop from last time (25.9).  I will continue with Whole Food C for sure and stay off the Cal, D and HFCS.  If I can get by with less MF, I’ll do it.   I know that I can raise it with Liver Beef but I am awfully leery given my bad history with that stuff.  Maybe I’ll take it occasionally if tolerated.  Back in 2014, I felt my best when my Cp level was around 20 so perhaps it is nothing to worry about.  I've heard that it does often fall after blood donations.

Why the recent issues?

If Creatinine was normal, why did I react so badly to a Creatine supplement?  Why the intolerance to the kidney glandular and SHMT?  That’s all unnerving to me but I just read that kidneys play an important role in glycine conjugation and benzoic acid (PABA) is BAD for the kidneys.  Once again, staying off PABA is KEY!  Perhaps my tolerance to glycine has improved and I can tolerate more than 1000 mg now.  That should be helpful.  It might all boil down to that and it is glycine or bust.

 

Caffeine:

I’ve screwed up once in the last 12 days.  I can get away with that but let’s not push it.  How does it affect me?  On the first day I take it after being off it a while, I get a nice mild buzz throughout the day with no real crash.  Too much will cause some jitters but if I keep it under 120 mg, I’m okay.  I can stay up late and wake up early the next morning still feeling some of the effects but I will crave it the following day.  That’s when I must say NO.  If I take it 3 days in a row, I will develop a tolerance.  The buzz is gone and the withdrawal sets in, which includes headaches, an adrenal spike and a possible PABA blip.  The only time caffeine ought to be useful for me is when I need to get up super early the next morning after a later than usual night.  Even non-caffeinated carbonated beverages contain benzoates and preservatives, which can mess with the glycine conjugation.  Just say NO to Sprite as well.  I must stick to water but will allow an occasional beer after I make 21 days.